It was as though the Nuggets were channeling Bluto’s piercing plea from “Animal House”: “Over? Did you say the series is over? Nothing is over until we decide it is. And the playoffs ain’t over. Let’s win this game!”
It’s not over and out for the Nuggets, who gutted up and over the Jazz on Wednesday night.
The Nuggets’ coaches and staff pinned on “Never Give Up” buttons for Game 5, and the players didn’t give up after trailing at the end of the first and second quarters, didn’t give up after losing their center in the second period with an injured left knee, didn’t give up when the Jazz’s Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer seemed to make every play and every shot, didn’t give up when the game could have been a repeat loss in the series.
And where did the spirit, the will to win, the — yes — heart come from for the Nuggets?
From a couple of unlikely sources, based on what had happened in the three previous games.
Ty Lawson, the rookie, sped all around, scrapped and scraped, showed his mettle of a year ago in the NCAA championship. He was pressed into bonus play because of Chauncey Billups’ foul trouble. Lawson’s statistics weren’t so impressive — six points, one assist, one steal, two turnovers, two rebounds. But the waterbug harassed the Jazz, jacked up the Nuggets’ tempo and provided the kind of help Carmelo Anthony said he was looking for after the two lethargic defeats in Salt Lake City.
And the other boost was supplied by The Mad Tweeter — J.R. Smith.
J.R. had been AWOL since the first game. At one point he typed on his Twitter that if “you play selfish, you lose selfish.” He was not the most popular player in the locker room.
Earlier Wednesday it was announced by the NBA that Smith had gotten two first-place votes — who knows why? — for the sixth- man award, and finished fifth overall.
Maybe J.R. was inspired; maybe he knew he had to win or go home, or go some other place next season.
In the second quarter, Smith swished both of his 3-point attempts, but still had only seven points (and three assists) when the final quarter began, and the Nuggets up 86-81.
Then, Smith elevated his game and the Nuggets. He scored 10 more points (including two more three-pointers and a whirligig slam dunk).
Coach Adrian Dantley praised both Lawson and Smith: “I’m glad we got Ty 20 minutes (19:38). He gives us more speed and more pick-and-rolls. . . . I guess (Smith) was due after some tough games. I like my J.R. tonight, and he played some good defense.”
And Carmelo, who had pleaded like Bluto, got all the help he wanted. He finished with 26 points and 11 rebounds, and five other Nuggets ended up with double-figure points. Billups returned with 21 points in just 28 minutes.
Kenyon Martin had 18 points — with some flips near the rim — and nine rebounds. Aaron Afflalo kept the Nuggets afloat with a pair of early 3-pointers and added 12 points, and Chris Andersen, who had been called out on the bench by Anthony for clanking a shot in Game 4, had 10 points.
Johan Petro, whose gas tank had been empty most of the season, filled in for 19 1/2 minutes after a limping Nene had to be assisted to the locker room. He had six rebounds and four points.
“The guys off their bench gave them a big lift,” Utah coach Jerry Sloan said afterward.
The Nuggets, he said, “did a terrific job doing what they had been trying to accomplish. We knew who they are. They were a terrific team, (and) . . . they were a lot more alive.”
The Nuggets haven’t figured out Deron Williams and Carlos Boozer yet, and they don’t have much time to do it before Game 6. Batman & Superman combined for 59 points (34 by Williams), 20 rebounds (16 by Boozer) and 11 assists (10 by Williams). They double-double the Nuggets.
The Nuggets, who have been begging for fouls, wound up with 42 free throws to 25 for the Jazz. And the Nuggets did reach 20 assists, one more assist than Utah and two fewer turnovers (13-15).
“We gave great effort the whole game, just stayed with it,” Billups said. “The pressure’s now on them, and we’ve got to go over there and play our game . . . and bring back it home for Game 7.”
Now, the Nuggets have to prove they have the team play, the fortitude, the — yes — heart to win in our neighboring state.
It’s not over until the fat lady sings; it’s not over after five; it’s not over until it’s over.
Woody Paige: 303-954-1095 or wpaige@denverpost.com
